I was looking for a clip of Tom Jones and Natalie Imbruglia doing INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart", one of my favorite INXS songs and my favorite off of Tom Jones' excellent (really!) duets disc Reload, and I came across another version by Joe Cocker. I couldn't decide which I liked best, so I'm posting them both.

And if you've never heard the original, go here. What's your favorite?

We're not in the habit of using clips from "The View" for our music posts, and I just did a Joe Cocker music post not that long ago and repeating artists frequently is something we try to avoid. But the exception must be made tonight to present our very own Mike Finnegan (of Mike's Blog Round Up) performing new songs with Joe Cocker from his CD Hymn for My Soul. (h/t Heather)

Hymn for My Soul Download | play Download | play

Darling, Be Home Soon Download | play Download | play

"Bird on a Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's classic songs. k.d. lang covered it on an album of her favorite Canadian songs, Hymns of the 49th Parallel in 2004, thirty-six years after Cohen wrote it. Her sensuous cover is one of the best anyone has ever done-- and the song has been done by some real great from Johnny Cash, Judy Collins and Joe Cocker to the Neville Brothers and Willie Nelson. Pretty powerful lyrics captured with all their intense emotion by one of the great song stylists of our time: